a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to step platforms for vehicles, and, more particularly, to an extensible step assembly that mounts to a standard receiver hitch so as to provide step-up access to a pickup truck bed or the like when the tailgate is lowered.
b. Related Art
Climbing into and out of pickup truck boxes is a longstanding problem. As is well known, pickup trucks and like similar vehicles represent a convenient and versatile means for transporting all manner of articles. However, from time to time it is necessary for a person to climb into the pickup truck box in order to access the articles or load/unload the box. For example, a person must often climb into the box to lift lumber, boxes and other such articles into and out of the truck. Similarly, it is necessary to enter the box in order to shovel dirt or other loose material from the forward areas of the bed.
In years past a degree of access was provided by xe2x80x9cstep sidexe2x80x9d pickup truck boxes, in which a small step was provided just forward of the rear fenders. However, the great majority of modern pickup trucks are provided with full-width xe2x80x9cstyle sidexe2x80x9d boxes which lack any such steps, so that access must be gained at the rear of the box.
For this reason, many modern pickups are provided with step bumpers on which a person can stand at the back of the box. Due to vehicle height, however, the tops of such bumpers are normally far too high for convenient step-up, so that a person must haul himself up while holding onto the top of the tailgate, which makes it essentially impossible to step up onto the bumper while carrying a heavy or bulky article. Moreover, once on top of the bumper, the person must still climb over the tailgate, which is a tricky and inconvenient and again difficult or impossible when carrying an article in one""s arms. However, when the tailgate is down it covers the top of the step bumper, and the tailgate itself is far too high to step onto. In rare instances a loading dock is available that allows a person to walk into and out of a pickup truck box with the tailgate down, but most of the time the height of the bed presents a very real obstacle.
Certain devices have been proposed in the prior art for providing an auxiliary step that is mountable to a vehicle. Some of these devices have also successfully employed receiver hitches as convenient and secure mounting points. However, the majority of such devices are not suitable for use with a conventional pickup truck, whether for reasons of configuration or complexity/cost. In other instances, a step has been provided that is mountable to or at the rear bumper of a pickup truck. Although some of these devices provide an acceptable step-up height (as compared with a step bumper), they are still covered and rendered useless when the tailgate is opened. The steps also form a projection that can trip or bang the shins of persons walking and moving about the rear of the vehicle, and that also tends to strike the ground when entering/leaving driveways and other inclined roadways.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a step assembly that is mountable at the rear of a pickup truck or similar vehicle so as to assist in entering the box thereof, in which the step is accessible when the tailgate of the vehicle is in the open, lowered position. Furthermore, there exists a need for such a step assembly that detachably mounts to a standard receiver hitch at the rear of a pickup truck or similar vehicle, so as to be conveniently and stably secured thereto. Still further, there exists a need for such a step assembly that has a compact configuration when not in use so as to avoid excessive protrusions or obstacles at the rear of the vehicle. Still further, there exists a need for such an assembly that is rugged and durable, yet structurally simple so as to avoid excessive manufacturing costs.
The present invention has solved the problems cited above, and is a step assembly for a vehicle having a hitch receiver and a tailgate. Broadly, the hitch assembly comprises: a stationary upper support member that is insertable in the hitch receiver so as to support the assembly therefrom; (b) a frame member mounted to and extending downwardly from the upper support member; (c) at least one sliding lower support member mounted in the frame member generally below and parallel to the upper support member for movement from a forward, retracted position to a rearward, extended position; and (d) at least one step member mounted to a rearward end of the sliding lower support member so that when the lower support member is in the retracted position, the step member is positioned proximate the hitch receiver and when the lower support member is in the extended position the step member is positioned rearwardly of the hitch receiver by a distance sufficient that the step member may be stood upon when the tailgate of the vehicle is in an open, lowered position.
The step assembly may further comprise means for pivoting the step member from a generally horizontal orientation in which the step member may be stood upon when the lower support is in the extended position, to a generally vertical orientation in which the step member stows substantially flat with respect to a rear of the vehicle when the sliding lower support is in the retracted position. The means for pivoting the step member from the generally horizontal orientation to the generally vertical orientation may comprise a pivot shaft operatively interconnecting the step member and the rearward end of the lower support member.
The stationary upper support member may comprise a segment of substantially square-section stock dimensioned for insertion into a standard hitch receiver of predetermined size. The frame member may comprise a downwardly extending portion having at least one guide opening that receives the lower support member in sliding engagement therewith.
The assembly may further comprise means for selectively locking the lower support member in the retracted position so as to prevent the lower support member from sliding rearwardly while the vehicle is in operation. The means for locking the lower support member in the retracted position may comprise an opening formed in the lower support member proximate the rearward end thereof, and a locking pin mounted to the downwardly extending portion of the support member so as to retractably engage the opening when the lower support member is in the retracted position. The means for locking the lower support member in the retracted position may further comprise a handle mounted to an outer end of the locking pin for manually withdrawing the pin from engagement with the opening in the lower support, and a spring operatively connected to the locking pin so as to yieldingly bias the pin into engagement with the opening when the handle is released.
The assembly may further include a second opening formed in the lower support proximate a forward end thereof for being engaged by the locking pin so as to selectively lock the lower support in the extended position. A third opening may be formed in the lower support member intermediate the first and second openings for being engaged by the locking pin so as to selectively lock the lower support in an intermediate position in which the step member is positioned proximate a bumper of the vehicle, so that the step member may be stood upon to gain access to a rear compartment of the vehicle when the tailgate is in the closed, raised position.
The opening in the downwardly-extending portion of the frame member may be spaced below the upper support member by a distance sufficient that the lower support member when in the retracted position will clear a spare tire that extends below a rear of the vehicle by a predetermined distance.
The downwardly extending portion of the frame member may have forward and rearward axially aligned guide openings that maintain the lower support member in a substantially horizontal orientation as the lower support member is slid between said extended and retracted positions. The frame member may comprise a U-shaped support bracket having a rearward wall that is mounted to a rearward end of the upper support member, and first and second side walls that extend downwardly and forwardly so as to clear obstructions on the vehicle proximate the hitch receiver. The rearward guide opening may be formed in a rearward wall of the support bracket and the forward guide opening may be formed between forwardly-extending ends of the sidewalls thereof. The frame member may further comprise a reaction plate mounted to the support bracket adjacent to the forward guide opening so as to bear against and receive upward loads from an upper surface of the lower support member when the step member is stood upon.
The lower support member may comprise an elongate segment of substantially square-section stock, and the forward and rearward guide openings may each have a corresponding square configuration so that the guide openings bear against sides of the lower support member in a sliding engagement therewith.
The step assembly may further comprise means for selectively locking the step member in the horizontal orientation so that the step member provides a stable platform when stood upon. The means for locking the step member in the horizontal orientation may comprise: (a) a pivot slot formed in the lower support member and having the pivot shaft receiver therein in rotating engagement therewith; (b) a latch opening formed in an upper side of the lower support member and having a forward lip; (c) a latch hook mounted to the step member so as to extend downwardly through the latch opening when the step member is in the horizontal orientation and having a forwardly-facing jaw for engaging the forward lip of the latch opening; and (d) a spring member operatively interconnecting the pivot shaft and the lower support member so as to bias the shaft towards a forward end of the pivot slot; so that when the step member is in the horizontal orientation the jaw opening of the latch hook is urged by the spring into engagement with the forward lip of the latch opening so as to lock the step member in the horizontal orientation, and so that in response to an operator selectively drawing rearwardly on the step member the pivot shaft moves rearwardly in the pivot slot so as to disengage the jaw of the latch hook from the lip of the opening and thereby free the step member to be pivoted to the vertical orientation.
The pivot slot may comprise an L-shaped slot having a rearward, generally horizontally extending segment and a forward, generally downwardly extending segment, the spring member being configured to bias the pivot shaft forwardly and downwardly in the L-shaped slot, so that when the step member is in the horizontal orientation the pivot shaft is urged into the downwardly extending segment of the pivot slot so that a downwardly extending segment holds the shaft and step member against moving rearwardly and thereby prevents the jaw of the latch hook from inadvertently moving out of engagement with the lip of the latch opening, and so that in response to an operator. selectively lifting upwardly on the step member the pivot shaft moves upwardly out of the downwardly extending segment of the pivot slot and into the horizontally extending segment of the slot so that the step member may then be drawn rearwardly to disengage the jaw of the latch hook from the lip of the opening.
The spring member may comprise a tension spring having a first end mounted to the pivot shaft and a second end mounted to the lower support member forwardly and downwardly from the pivot shaft.